Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 35 (Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving Plans)

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I swear, the first eight months of the year felt three years long, and now these last four months (my favorites, of course) are flying by at the speed of light.  I can’t believe another week has come and gone and Thanksgiving is just barely over a week away.  I've had several people ask me how we're going to handle that, and we finally firmed up our plans this past weekend.  Keep reading for the details.

Let’s recap last week, shall we?

Monday, November 9 (Day 241 of Quarantine)

Monday was just a regular day – grocery shopping at Publix, a workout, and lots of work before picking the kids up from school.  We found out Sunday evening that one of the after school care teachers tested positive for Covid, but thankfully, our kids don’t go to the after school program since I am able to pick them up every day. 

Apparently, several kids were exposed (possibly in Jacob’s grade), so the school was sending out additional correspondence to those families.  We’re now in a waiting game and praying that nobody else comes down with it.  Thankfully, everyone wears masks at all times in the afterschool program, so hopefully that will prevent the spread.  I’m typing this Saturday afternoon (five days later) and so far nobody else has tested positive.  Whew!

Monday evening, I cooked dinner and spent some time with the kids, and then after the kids got in the bed, B and I got caught up on Shark Tank and Supermarket Sweep.  We also watched episode two of Emily in Paris.

Tuesday, November 10 (Day 242 of Quarantine)

Tuesday, I worked all day and then I met with my therapist via Zoom.  Immediately following my appointment with her, I had an appointment to donate blood at The Red Cross.  Since I’d previously donated, my appointment was even faster this time, and I was in and out in just around 45 minutes. 

B picked the kids up from school for me since my appointment ran into car line pick up time, and they arrived home at the same time I did.  Like last time, my body was weak and exhausted for the rest of the day, so after I got the kids settled in and cooked an early dinner, I plopped down on the couch and stayed there for the rest of the night.

The kids were out of school the next day for Veteran’s Day, so we all watched Noelle on Disney+, and then B and I watched The Bachelorette.  I was so exhausted that I slept through a lot of Noelle, but I rallied and was able to stay up for the rest.  This time around, I increased my water intake by 100% and I ate a slightly larger lunch before my appointment, but my body was still completely wiped out after donating.  Just like last time, I was out of breath the entire evening, and it felt like my body had run a marathon, tired muscles and all.  So bizarre how that happens to me as everyone else I know who donates blood has never had this happen.

Wednesday, November 11 (Day 243 of Quarantine)

Wednesday morning, we all slept in, and we had a lazy morning at home.  B had to work (still from home), but the kids were able to watch cartoons and I caught up on some blog reading.

B had worked over 60 hours the previous week, so he decided to take a long lunch Wednesday to hang out with us.  We had big plans to walk on the River Walk and possibly let the kids play on the playground (assuming there weren’t too many people there), but unfortunately, the rain from Hurricane Eta settled in just as we arrived downtown. 

We decided not to let it get us down, and instead, we pulled out umbrellas for one and all.  The first few minutes it barely rained, so we let the kids spend some time on the playground, and then when the rain started to fall harder, we pulled out our umbrellas and got in a walk.  It never rained too hard, just a steady drizzle, and we ended up getting in about a mile before heading back to the playground. 

The kids played for a few minutes, and then we walked across the street to the new food hall that opened a few months ago.  So far there are only a few vendors there, and we all opted for Mexican.  They have a massive covered porch, so we were able to eat safely outside, away from people.  That was only our second time eating out since March 13, which is crazy to think about since we typically go out to eat at least twice a week.  Since we were already downtown, we treated the kids to ice cream at our favorite place, and then we headed back home so B could get back to work. 

The kids played video games and I squeezed in a couple hours of work before taking Olivia to dance at 3:45.  Wednesday evening, we made breakfast for dinner, and then after the kids went to bed, B and I caught up on This is Us, and we also started The Undoing on HBO Max.  The first episode was excellent… suspenseful… so hopefully we’ll enjoy it.  PSA, it is NOT for kids. 

Thursday, November 12 (Day 244 of Quarantine)

Thursday morning after I dropped the kids, I headed to the hospital for my annual mammogram.  Ladies, don’t forget to schedule yours if you need to!  I’m not yet 40, but my doctor has had me getting one every year since I turned 36 because of my family’s history with breast cancer.  My appointment was lightning fast – I was in and out in about 20 minutes – and then I headed to Target to do some Christmas shopping.

I hadn’t been in there since all of the Christmas stuff had been set up, so I let myself linger and take the time to browse all of the goodness.  There was hardly anyone there, so I felt totally safe doing so.  I grabbed a few things I needed for Christmas décor, as well as some goodies for our North Pole breakfast (coming soon!), and before I knew it, I had been in there for an hour and a half.  Lol. 

I made a stop at Hobby Lobby afterward, and by the time I got back home, it was already lunch time.  B and I ate a quick lunch together, and then I spent the rest of the afternoon working in my office. 

The rest of the evening was spent at home as we had no place to be!  B and I also watched another episode of The Undoing.

Friday, November 13 (Day 245 of Quarantine)

Friday, I spent some of the day working, and the other couple of hours were spent putting away the Hobby Lobby and Target purchases from the previous day.  I had bought a few odds and ends that we needed for the Christmas décor around the house, so I got all of the tags pulled off of those things and I got them set up. 

One of the things I added to our Christmas décor this year were some rainbow bottle brush trees for my office.  Hobby Lobby had them in every single color of the rainbow with the exception of orange and purple and they were all 50% off so I scooped them up.  I don’t like the color orange at all unless it’s on a leaf or a pumpkin, so I decided I didn’t need an orange one.  I did want a purple tree, though, so I bought a blue one from Hobby Lobby and then just spray painted it purple.  Easy peasy and you can’t even tell that it was ever blue! 

I loved my rainbow pumpkins so much that I’ve decided to keep something rainbow-y on that desk year-round.  That means rainbow pumpkins for fall, rainbow bottle brush trees for Christmas, and then some sort of everyday rainbow item for the rest of the year.  I may put that wooden rainbow toy from Amazon there during the regular part of the year.

Target also has my verrrry favorite cookies back for the holidays, so I did indulge in one of those with my cup of cinnamon tea Friday morning, too.  It was such a nice little treat.  Seriously, y’all, these cookies are the best.  They’re shortbread with a little bit of frosting, and they are so perfect with hot tea.  Brian thinks I’m crazy for loving them so much, but sometimes it’s those simple things that are just the best things.

Friday evening, I whipped up some Moscow Mules while B grabbed takeout from our favorite pub, and after dinner, we all settled in for Home Alone.  We have big plans to watch as many Christmas movies as possible this year, and we’re rolling right along!

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched Holidate on Netflix and I liked it so much!  It was laugh-out-loud funny and heartwarming, and really cute, but beware, it’s also a little raunchy.

Saturday, November 14 (Day 246 of Quarantine)

Saturday morning was a lazy one – homemade waffles followed by GameDay and cinnamon tea on the couch.  Jacob had a virtual play date with his friend Jack, and they chatted back-and-forth using Google messenger with their school accounts.  We were supposed to have had a Georgia football game at noon, but it was postponed because several of the Missouri football players tested positive for Covid, and therefore, they had to quarantine.  Since there was no Georgia football, I got off the couch around 10:30 and decided to be productive. 

First up, was a cardio workout.  I’d been fairly lazy all week, so I made it a good one.  After my workout, I threw in some laundry and then the kids and I got to work on cleaning out the playroom.  It hadn’t been cleaned out in months, and after having them home all spring and summer, it was way beyond overdue. 

We ended up donating a whole trash bag full of stuff, and we also threw out an entire bag of trash + recycled a ton of stuff, too.  We cleaned out every nook and cranny and it looked SO GOOD when we were done.  As for that little pile of stuff in the middle of the floor in the “after” picture, that was stuff they were still playing with and they forbade me to clean it up.  Lol.

Before

After

We stopped halfway through to break for lunch, and then we finally finished up just before 3.  I got in the shower and then worked in my office while B and the kids played video games, and then Saturday evening we got takeout from our favorite pizza place.  I tell you what, takeout has been the real MVP of these quarantined times!

After dinner, we watched How to Train Your Dragon 3.  The kids had been dying to see it, so they were thrilled.  After it was over, Jacob informed us that the third one took the place of the second one as his favorite movie of all-time. 

After the kiddos went to bed, B and I watched the newest episode of The Mandalorian as well as a Shark Tank, and then we called it a night, too.

Saturday afternoon, I also received my Covid antibody results from my blood donation, and I am still NEGATIVE.  That's twice that I've had my antibodies tested this year, and they were negative for Covid both times, so I'm assuming our family of four has avoided it so far.

Sunday, November 15 (Day 247 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning was church, cinnamon rolls, planning the week ahead, and homework for the kids followed by a light lunch.  After lunch, we walked to our neighborhood playground again, and the kids played until B and I got rain warnings on our phones.  We trucked it back home and didn’t quite make it back in time before the rain started coming down.  It rained fairly steadily, but the kids ended up loving it.  Maui, not so much.  Haha.

Sunday afternoon, I did some work while the kids played video games (typical Sunday over here) and then I made baked ziti (my mom’s recipe) for dinner.  After dinner, the kids got showered and in the bed, and then B and I watched the newest episode of The Undoing before heading up to bed.  That show is soooo good, y’all!

We also finalized our Thanksgiving plans this weekend, too, so it feels good to know what we’re doing, even though said plans will be way different than normal.  I’ve had so many people reach out to me to ask me what we’re doing, so now that we know, I thought I would share it here.

We typically do three Thanksgiving gatherings spread over two days – lunch with my father-in-law at the country club on Thanksgiving Day, dinner with my mom’s entire family at someone’s house on Thanksgiving night, and lunch with my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law at their house the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Instead of our usual Thanksgiving Day lunch at the country club with my father-in-law, we’ll be opting for a socially distanced (masked when needed) lunch outside at our house on Friday.  We will likely get some take-out so nobody has to cook, and we’ll have tables set up in our back yard, many feet apart, one for each household.  That way, we can all be together, but safely. 

Instead of our usual HUGE family gathering at my aunt and uncle’s house for Thanksgiving Day dinner (always like 30+ people), we’ll be opting for separate, individual family lunches at our own houses, and then those who want to will come together afterward to visit my grandmother at her house – outside, masked, and socially distant, of course.

For that individual family lunch, my family of four will only be having my mom, dad, and brother over at our house, and we will all sit at separate tables in the yard, one per household.  My mom and I will make all of the food at our separate houses (with clean hands and masks) and then we will dish the food for everyone outside (with clean hands and masks).  That way we can have a traditional Thanksgiving spread, safely. 

We will be doing the exact same thing (outside, socially distant, and masked when needed) with my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law at their house on Saturday, and they’ll be preparing ALL of the food since they’re both retired and rarely leave the house. 

If anyone has to use the restroom at any gathering, they will be masked before entering the house, and, of course, if anyone isn’t feeling well, their family’s household will not attend.  I’ll be taking all of our temperatures every now and then in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, and our family of four will be quarantining as best we can in the five days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Will this be a lot to orchestrate?  Yes.  Will it also be a little very strange?  Yes.  Will it be worth it?  Totally. 

Now we just have to pray really hard for good weather!  CRINGE.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!